Regarding those three items that had failed to sell in multiple auctions, He Zhijun was aware of them.

But he hadn't given them much thought.

After all, they were just items worth two to three million yuan. If they failed to sell, so be it.

As the general manager, it wasn't worth his concern over low-value auction items.

What he hadn't expected, however, was that those three items had been purchased-and by the person standing right in front of him now.

Still, if they were purchased, they were purchased.

Overall, it was a good thing for Wuji Group.

But now, this person was saying he wanted to sell them back. What was that supposed to mean?

"President Ye, are you saying you want to sell them back to us? Why? Is there something wrong with them? Are they fakes?" He Zhijun frowned as he spoke.

"No, no, no, President He, you misunderstand. The items aren't fake. On the contrary, they are incredibly valuable treasures," Ye Chen said with a smile. "When I said I wanted to sell them back, I didn't mean at the original price. Ahem... we can discuss the price later. For now, could you bring in your appraisal experts?"

"What do you mean by this?" He Zhijun was utterly puzzled.

In fact, he wasn't the only one confused-Zhang Jingshan was equally baffled.

"President He, don't worry. This is definitely a good thing for you. All you need to do now is call your experts, and I'm sure you'll be thanking me in no time!" Ye Chen's tone shifted to one of seriousness.

This shift made He Zhijun furrow his brows even further.

Considering that Ye Chen was brought in by Zhang Jingshan, He Zhijun eventually nodded after some deliberation. "Fine. I hope you're not just playing games here."

After a phone call from He Zhijun, several middle-aged and elderly experts quickly entered the meeting room.

"President He, what's the matter?" one of the experts asked as they entered.

He Zhijun shook his head and turned to Ye Chen. "The experts are here. Now, tell us what you plan to do."

Ye Chen nodded and sat down on the sofa.

He reached for the wood carving that Zhang Jingshan had earlier placed on the coffee table, wrapped in golden cloth.

When Ye Chen removed the cloth, the experts immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"Isn't this the Qing Dynasty wood carving?"

"A decorative piece from a Qing royal residence! Wasn't this sent to auction? Why is it back here?"

Hearing this, Ye Chen smiled slightly.

"Experts, please wait a moment. While this is indeed a decorative item from a Qing royal residence, it is far more than just that."

With that, Ye Chen picked up a fruit knife from the coffee table.

"President He, do you mind if I use this knife?"

"Go ahead," He Zhijun replied, still bewildered.

Smiling, Ye Chen placed the wood carving flat on the table and glanced at Zhang Jingshan. "Jingshan, do you mind if I tamper with this thing a bit?"

"Uh... Tamper with it? Brother Ye, you could smash it for all I care. Do whatever you want with it!"

Even though Zhang Jingshan still had no clue what Ye Chen was up to, he responded without hesitation.

"Alright, then!"

Ye Chen wasted no more time.

With everyone watching in complete confusion, Ye Chen used the fruit knife to locate a faint crack on the wood carving-one that looked like the result of a previous impact.

He pressed the knife's tip into the crack and applied force.

"Stop! Stop!"

"You're destroying a priceless artifact!"

"This is pure vandalism!"

The experts were in an uproar.

"This is a Qing Dynasty decorative piece worth at least hundreds of thousands of yuan. If it's ruined, it'll be worthless!"

Even He Zhijun couldn't help but twitch with anxiety.

What on earth was this man doing?!

But Ye Chen ignored them.

Once the knife had penetrated about a centimeter into the crack, he pulled sharply to the side.

Riiiip!

A fine layer of debris scattered into the air-not wood chips, but the kind of residue one might find on an aged patina.

The experts' faces changed drastically.

Because in the area Ye Chen had scraped, a seam became visible-one that had been part of the piece all along and was not the result of Ye Chen's actions.

And judging by the flakes of patina around the seam, it was clear that the wood carving had been deliberately sealed.

The carving had secrets within.

Before the experts could recover from their shock, Ye Chen rotated the wood carving and continued cutting at another spot with the knife.

Riiiip!

Riiiip!

Riiiip!

Three more seams appeared, revealing that the wood carving was actually a cleverly disguised box.

With the four seams exposed, the wood carving's true nature as a box became evident.

Ignoring the stunned expressions around him, Ye Chen gripped one end of the box and pried it open.

Snap!

The box split in two, revealing a translucent jade pendant inside.

Even without considering its historical significance, the jade itself was worth at least several million yuan based on its quality alone.

"My goodness!"

"This-this can't be real!"

"A Qing Dynasty wood carving hiding such a treasure?!"

"This carving has been with us for so long. How did we never discover this?!"

The experts were in disbelief, exclaiming in shock.

"Brother Ye, w-what is going on here?" Zhang Jingshan stammered, utterly dumbfounded by what he had just witnessed.

"Everyone knows that Empress Dowager Cixi had an unparalleled fondness for jadeite. Because of this, jadeite became extremely popular during her reign. It was a status symbol among officials to own high-quality jadeite, and receiving a jadeite gift from Cixi herself was considered the highest honor."

Ye Chen explained, his voice steady.

"According to folklore, Cixi's jadeite gifts were divided into two categories: those wrapped in yellow cloth and those placed in boxes. The boxed jadeite was stored in intricately carved nanmu boxes made within the royal palace. These were typically reserved for pieces Cixi personally favored and gifted to a select few high-ranking officials."

"However, these gifts weren't distributed publicly but rather in private, which is why there's little historical documentation. It's also said that some officials, after accidentally breaking or losing such jadeite, began sealing the boxes to protect the contents from damage or loss."

"So when I saw this wood carving at the Wuji auction, I immediately suspected its true nature. Luckily, my instincts were correct!"

Ye Chen's explanation was fluid and precise, leaving the experts and He Zhijun completely stunned.

"So... you opened this box just to sell the jadeite back to Wuji Group?" He Zhijun asked, still in shock.